A National Historic Landmark, Mill City Museum offer special events in December including a visit from the finalists in the Star Tribune's Taste Holiday Cookie Contest, a nooks-and-crannies guided tour, and a play viewed from within the museum's 8-story Flour Tower ride.

Event: Star Tribune Holiday Cookie Contest Winners
Date: Saturday, Dec. 7
Time: 1 to 3 p.m.
Cost: Program included with museum admission of $11 adults, $9 seniors and college students, $6 children ages 6-17; free for MNHS members.

Brush up on the holiday baking season with this meet-and-eat event on Saturday, Dec. 7. The finalists in the Star Tribune's annual Taste Holiday Cookie Contest will bake their award-winning recipes for visitors to sample. Finalists will share the history of their original recipes as well as holiday baking tips. Find out what makes these holiday cookie recipes extra special.

Each year, the Star Tribune's Taste section sponsors the Holiday Cookie Contest. Readers submit a favorite original cookie recipe, along with the recipe's holiday history. The winner and four runners-up of the 2013 Holiday Cookie Contest will be announced in the Dec. 5 section of Taste.

Event: An "Eventually" Christmas: Holidays at the Mill
Dates: Weekends, Dec. 7 and 8, 14 and 15
Time: 5, 6 and 7 p.m.
Cost: $14 adults, $12 seniors and college students, $10 for children ages 6-17 and MNHS members; $2 off adult admission with Fringe Festival button.
Reservations: required; register online

Based on the Washburn Crosby marketing slogan, "Eventually-Why Not Now?", this play written by Joseph Scrimshaw presents a unique opportunity to see a performance while taking an elevator ride in Mill City Museum's Flour Tower.

The Flour Tower is a freight elevator which seats approximately 30 people and travels to eight floors of the mill, taking the play experience to a whole new level.

Get to know the employees of the mill in the days leading up to Washburn Crosby's elaborate 1920 holiday party. Professional Twin Cities actors play the parts of real people and their stories, taken from the pages of the company newsletter, The Eventually News. Witness the rocky romance of Celia and Otto; meet marketing mastermind Benjamin S. Bull; experience the awesome sweeping power of Bill Smith; and learn the secret origin of the Washburn Crosby marketing slogan, "Eventually-Why Not Now?"

This program is not recommended for children under age 8.

Event: Washburn A Mill Tour
Date: Dec. 14 and Dec. 28
Time: 1 p.m.
Cost: $14 adults, $12 seniors and college students, $10 children ages 6-17 and MNHS members. Tour includes museum admission.
Reservations: required; call 612-341-7555 or register online

The Washburn A Mill Tour is the only opportunity for a guided tour of the entire museum, including its non-public spaces. Beyond seeing the space, learn about the men and women who worked at the mill during its peak years and the tragic explosion that claimed 18 lives in 1878.

The tour includes admission to the museum gallery, Baking Lab, Water Lab and Flour Tower show.

About Mill City Museum

Built within the ruins of the Washburn A Mill, a National Historic Landmark, the award-winning Mill City Museum chronicles the flour milling industry that fueled the growth of Minneapolis. The story comes to life through the eight-story Flour Tower, Water Lab, Baking Lab and other hands-on exhibits.
The museum is located at 704 S. Second St. in Minneapolis. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays and noon to 5 p.m. Sundays. The site is also open Mondays 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in July and August. For more information, call 612-341-7555 or visit www.millcitymuseum.org.

The Society’s calendar of events is posted online at www.mnhs.org/calendar. The website also has information about all of the Society’s programs, museums and historic sites.

About the Minnesota Historical Society

The Minnesota Historical Society is a non-profit educational and cultural institution established in 1849. The Society collects, preserves and tells the story of Minnesota’s past through museum exhibits, libraries and collections, historic sites, educational programs and book publishing. Using the power of history to transform lives, the Society preserves our past, shares our state’s stories and connects people with history.

The Minnesota Historical Society is supported in part by its Premier Partners: Xcel Energy and Explore Minnesota Tourism.